August 2002

Ride Page

Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month August 2002 more or less as they happened. (Actually, I make all of this stuff up. We never do any rides and most of the people mentioned below are figments of my imagination) If you can make up better stories than me, please do so bikebob@crocker.com and you too can get yourself published on the web!
Glossary of Names used in these reports: ME (MaryEllen); Marcus P. Marcus, MPM (Marc Lombard); Black Beauty, BB (Marsha Martin); Jorge, (George Katzar); His Majesty Jack, HMJ (Jack Spanbauer); Queen Nancy, QN (Nancy Spanbauer); Donna the Hon, DTH (Donna Golec); Star, (Dave Walker); Georgie Boy, GB (George Bernegger); Homer (Michelle Hurley); Service (Rod Perez); Ranger Rick, RR (Rick Manson); P. J. Wabbit, PJW (Penny Abbott) Ice Princess IP; (Lynn Black) Mooseboy MB; (Kris Black) Fitness Twins, FT (Steve and Becky Shattuck)

Thursday, August 1 Distance - 32.36 Average - 19.1

Wendell Hill. Because Bob is a sadist and it was hotter than Hades out tonight. We set out towards Millers Falls in a good sized paceline, but things were rather disorganized. The group kept surging and slowing, making it a little difficult to keep a good even pace. Once on the climb, my only goal was to keep other riders in sight ahead of me. As it turned out, I was feeling stronger than I thought. As the hill really started, I pulled ahead of the group I was with, and kept putting distance on all the way to the top. Over the final 2 miles of the climb, I had my sights on a lone rider ahead of me and really tried to chase him down. I finally caught him just as we reached the 4-way intersection in Wendell. The ride back down to 63 was fast, as always. Then we finished up with the climb over the ridge between Turners Falls and Greenfield

Thursday 8/1: It was another hot one today and I had scheduled a ride up to Wendell for tonight. I was busy at the shop for most of the day and I when I slowed down for a minute to catch my breath it was 5:30 and the riders started to arrive for the trip. It took me a few minutes to get organized and when I got out to the parking lot there was a group of 25 people ready to go. A small group had left the shop earlier to get a head start and there was another bunch that was going to do the flatter route. After the few late comers got ready, we headed out of the parking lot and over to Turners Falls. I rode in the middle of the group and we headed up the hill to the mini-market. When we got to the market I had the group slow up a bit to let everyone get back on. When all the riders were there I took the lead and we headed off to Millers Falls. I stayed near the front to make sure that all the new riders made the turn onto Pleasant Street. Ron was in front of me when we went down the hill and I told him to make a right turn, but somehow he missed it and went right by. I then tried to make the corner going too fast and when I did my rear wheel slipped out and when I corrected for that I dropped my chain. I stayed calm and quickly got the chain back on and caught back onto the group. As I got to the bottom of the climb I felt as if my brakes were on or maybe I was just more tired than I thought, but after I got to the top of the steep section I felt my rear tire go flat. I stopped and made the repair and then headed back down the hill to RT. 63. I rode down RT.63 to North Leverett Road where I turned left and climbed up the hill until I saw the riders coming down towards me. I turned and chased back on and joined the group that included Jamie, Curt, Malcolm, Homer, Tom Martyn. As we were riding down the road Jamie mentioned that he hadn't seen Ricky in quite a while. We all stopped for a few minutes to wait, but since Roger, Kate and Jon were coming behind we felt that he would be ok when he joined up with them. We headed back through Montague and up Esleeck Hill into Greenfield. We all then rode back to the shop where we waited for the rest of the group to arrive.

Sunday 8/4: Today was the Greenfield Triathlon and I helped out with the bike portion of the race. PJW, Sue and MaryEllen Brown handed out the water bottles to the racers as they went by. After the race was over I headed back home for a shower and then I opened the shop. At 5:00 I headed over to Montague Center with Service. We were joined there by Jack, Mark, Homer, Don, Rich, Tywor, Curt and Mike. It was not as hot as it has been, but it really was quite humid, which made for a very sticky ride. The group stayed together all the way out to the Toilet Bowl Trail, and when we re-grouped at the power lines we decided to head over to Willis Hill. I took half the group with me and we went up Middle Road to the swamp and then out to the bottom of the big hill, where we were joined by the others who had ridden up the other side. We all then descended to the BPT Trail and then we rode up over Red Rock to the Sand Pit where we stopped for a minute. Tywor did very well for not having done much riding this year and he and I led the group as we headed over to the sand road. I managed to ride the whole way down the road to the pond without having to put a foot down, which is the first time that I had done that in while. I waited at the pond for everyone to catch up and then headed off to re-join the group that was waiting at the power lines. We then rode the Banked Trails over to Parrott's Trail and then we took the Telephone Pole Trail back to the hard top road. I followed the group back to the center of town and then I loaded my bike and headed for home. I was really tired, but I had a good ride.

Tuesday 8/6: Tonight we had a good sized group for the road ride. It was a beautiful day today, with temps in the 70’s and low humidity, it was just about as good as it gets around here. I had two rides for tonight, one ride that Jamie and Curt went on was the trip down to Bull Hill, while I took the beginner ride up to Bernardston. I was blessed with the presence of Jeannie, Christina “the crab” Kuralt, Jack D., Karen Shipee, Bob Armstrong and Peter Truesdell. We left the shop and headed up past the Stop&Shop to Adams Road where we all regrouped at the stop light. After the light turned green we headed up the hill in a group. I had to stop to raise Jeannie’s saddle before we could continue, since she was complaining about not having enough power. After I got her set up, we all headed up the rest of the hill in a group. When we got to the steeper sections, the group split up and I stayed with Jack, Christina and Jeannie. We rode along at a good pace for the rest of the way up to Bernardston. We turned left and rode down to RT. 5 and took another left that headed us back towards Greenfield. We picked the pace up as we headed towards Barton road, because Jeannie wanted to show off her sprint. I stayed behind with Jack and we eventually caught up with the rest of the group as we neared the Barton Road hill. I told the riders to take it easy at the bottom of the hill since we had to make the left turn onto Leyden Road. I followed the group up the hill past Wright Farm, and when we got to the top, Jeannie started racing again. She dropped me and Jack and soon caught up with Christina and the rest of the group. Jack and I worked hard and soon we caught up with the two speedsters. We all rode together back to town, where Jeannie and Christina stopped to visit ME. I rode back to the shop and waited for Jamie’s group to arrive. It was a nice night for a ride and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Wednesday 8/7: Hawley ride!! This is one of our favorite rides and not one that we get to do all that often due to the travel time. It was another great day today, with low humidity, lots of sunshine and cool temperatures; Just about as good as it gets!! There was a group of 9 riders waiting in the parking lot when I closed up at 6:00. We loaded the bikes into the van and the riders carpooled with a few of the other people who were heading up. We arrived at the firehouse at 6:45 and unloaded our bikes and got our gear all set. The sun was still high enough in the sky to light up the parking lot, but we knew that it was going to be dark in the woods when we got down to the bottom of the hill, so we all had our lighting systems with us. We left the parking lot and headed over to the snow shoe trail where we turned left. This is the first of several sections of single track that we were going to do tonight. The trail is really quite nice and you really have to be on your toes to keep up with all the switchbacks, rocks and roots that you will encounter. I rode along behind Rob LaPointe and Chris Koh for most of the way down to the road intersection, while several other riders followed behind me. The trail cuts across several of the jeep roads in the forest and the group has to wait because the trail does not lend itself to large groups traveling together. When everyone got to the road we paused for a moment before heading off to do the second section of the trail. I was right behind Rob and Don as we neared the rock wall that we have to cross on our way down to the marsh. As Don crossed the wall he seemed to stall right in mid air and then in the next moment he went right over the bars onto the rocks. I thought that we were going to have to take him out on a stretcher, but he soon got up and seemed to be OK. We took it easy on the rest of the way out to the next road where the group was waiting. These trails are really quite nice and the group was really pumped to do some more, so I led them to the Culvert Trail. This is another sweet single track that takes the riders through a pine forest and out to the pond where it switches back to the road. At this point Ben had gotten a flat and he was busy fixing that while I was trying to figure out the route to take. After Ben got the flat fixed we headed off to do the Periwinkle Trail. I led the group off to the left and after a few feet, I realized that we were heading back to the start of the trail and so we turned around and headed off down the hill. I was somewhat unsure of where the trailhead for Periwinkle was so I told the group to take it easy while I looked for the start. After a short climb I saw the carpet of periwinkle that is the start of the trail. This is a very beautiful trail and I am always impressed with the emerald carpet that lines the trail and the nearby hillside. This tail starts flat and then abruptly heads up hill and the trail switches back on itself and then heads across a ridge. This trail has a lot of challenging terrain, which includes a 15 foot rock drop off as well as a steep downhill section that leads us through a beautiful hardwood forest. At the end of this trail we come out onto another road and at this point it was really getting dark and most of us had turned our lights on. From the end of the trail we then headed down the hill to Moody Springs. The trail is quite a challenge due to it's washed out condition and some of the riders had to dismount to get across the many ravine's, but we all made it down to Moody Springs OK. After a few minutes rest we all headed out to begin the climb. I warned everyone to take care at the bottom of the hill as it is a long way uphill and those who go too fast will burn out before the top. I told the riders that we would take the next right and head uphill and in true cyclist fashion Kip, Liam and several others raced right by the turn and had to double back to follow me up the first section. I rode at a very moderate pace and I was soon passed by most of the riders as the hill started to get steeper. As I pulled over to let a rider go by I felt my wheel fall into a rut and when I rode out of it I could feel a lump in my rear tire. I decided to continue on rather than stop, because I wanted to see how far I could make it up the hill before I had to dismount due to fatigue. I rode up the hill and right by several of the riders who passed me earlier. I rode all the way up the hill to the rock face where I dismounted and joined the rest of the riders who were waiting there. After a brief pause we all headed up the hill to the white rock. The trail was pretty good most of the way up, but as we got near the road there were several large trees blocking the trail and we had to dismount to get around them. When I got to the road and started to ride back to the firehouse, there was a noticeable wobble in my rear wheel. I decided to chance it and so I continued on back to the parking lot where I looked at my wheel. I could see that the tire was lifted clean off the rim and the tube was sticking outside the tire. This would have been an instant flat tire if I had regular brakes, but since I had the disc brakes I was able to ride it out. Pretty neat!! Anyway we all packed up our bikes and headed back to the shop. It was a really nice ride.

Thursday 8/9: We had another beautiful day today for our ride up South Mountain. Unlike the previous ride the temperature was in the 70's and the humidity was very low. We left the shop at 6:15 and headed over to Turners Falls. I stayed in the middle of the group until we got to the downhill on Greenfield Road, and I went to the front. Patch and Craig Hefner went off ahead with a couple other riders and I found myself leading the group through the town. We caught up to the front group at the traffic light, but as soon as we got to the hill on Third Street, Patch and Craig took off again and we never saw them again. I rode near the front as we made our way out to Millers Falls and I found myself taking the lead after we made the turn onto RT.63 and I rode up the hill heading out of town with Matt Hyde. When we got to the top of the hill there was quite a gap, so I waited up for the group to catch up and then I dropped to the back. We rode along RT. 63 at a pretty mellow clip and soon we were at the town line, where Tommy and a few others sprinted to the line. I rode in the group and stayed near the middle until we got to the next hill and I found myself at the front again. I rode down to the wider section of road where I dropped back a few spots to rest before the hill. I made the turn onto South Mountain Road and settled in for the long ride up to the top. Many of the riders passed me on the early sections of the hill including QN and most of the other women in the group. I managed to stay just ahead of Ricky Manson and a few others as the hill really steepened after the school. I rode a steady pace and although I did not set any speed records, I made it all the way up the hill and finished just behind QN and Homer. Most of the riders were waiting at the top of the hill and after I got my breath I asked the group to hold up for the few riders that were behind. I rode down the hill to where Karen Shippee was riding and I rode to the top with her and after she got to the group, I headed down the hill to post up at the stop sign. I waited at the bottom of the steep downhill and waved the riders through the intersection. After all the riders had cleared the corner, I hopped back on my bike and headed off to catch up with the group. I got back onto the group at Corey's house and I struggled to keep up as we headed up the hill on Gulf Road. I did OK on the climb and rode down the hill with the group at 55 mph and then coasted to the stop sign at RT. 63 where we waited for everyone to catch back on. When all the riders had arrived we headed off down to the RT. 10 turn. We coasted down the hill and as soon as we got to the climb up the MT. Hermon Hill, Jessie Four Sticks came to the front at the urging of Tommy and the race was on. I hung onto the group for a short way but dropped back as the pace quickened too much for my abilities tonight. I then rode back to the shop in a group that included Homer, QN and a few others. I made it back to the shop just as it started to get dark and I was really whipped. It was a fun ride, but I have been really tired lately and this one took a lot out of me.

Sunday 8/11: Today was another hot one and I left the shop at 5:00 and drove over to the plains to find a fairly large group waiting for me. Joining me today was Homer, Laura, Harold, Matthew, Rich Flye, Jack, Tom and Charlene Deam, Chris, Oliver and Rachel Koh. We left the center of town and headed off to the Telephone Pole Trail in a large group. Some of the riders went on ahead while I waited at the back of the group to ride with the Koh's. I rode with the kids as they made their way up the hill and we all re-grouped at the fire pit. After a few minutes rest we all then headed off towards the Toilet Bowl Trail. I stayed at the back with Chris and the kids and we rode out to the power lines where the other riders were waiting. At this point I decided to stay with Chris and the kids and I sent the rest of the group off to ride up Willis Hill. Chris and I decided to take a flatter route and we then headed off towards the Brook Trail. We rode at a steady pace out to the Brook Trail and then we headed off to do the Plains Road. This is a very sandy road and most people find it hard to do this one and as soon a the sand got really deep we all were walking. After we got through the sand we rode down to the bottom of Willis Hill Road where we took the wooded trail out to the power lines to await the rest of the group that was riding down the hill to the BPT Trail. We only waited for a couple of minutes before the first rider came down the hill and rounded the corner onto the BPT. After all the riders had arrived we headed off towards the BPT and the power lines. At this point the kids were getting a little tired so I sent the group off to do Red Rock, while I took the Koh's back to the Banked Trails. We rode out to Parrott's Passage and then we followed the Telephone Pole Trail back to the road. I followed the Kids back to the center of town where we loaded up our bikes and headed for home. It was a great ride on a hot summer afternoon.

Tuesday 8/13: It was another hot one today and the humidity was really high. I was soaking wet from sweat almost as soon as we left town. So with the heat in mind, tonight we did the Whatley ride. It is getting later in the year and we will not be able to get the longer rides in due to the earlier sunsets. We left the shop and headed down to Deerfield and I pretty much stayed in the front for most of the way to Old Deerfield. After we got onto Main Street we formed a double pace line and we rode in a bunch all the way to Stillwater hill. When we got to the hill I stayed near the front, but it wasn't long before I was in the middle of the pack. I was gasping for air at the top of the hill and this would be the case for the rest of the ride; every hill would be a mountain for me. At the top of the hill I sat up and waited for the riders at the back to catch on and I started to pull them along. We caught up to the main group at the RT. 116 crossing and from there we all headed for Whatley. The group stayed together until we got to the hill near the campgrounds, where Marilyn came off the pace. I dropped back and rode with her to Christian Lane where we caught up with QN and Homer. We rode down to River Road and there we met up with John Gustin who was waiting at the side of the road. I took the lead for most of the way up to Deerfield and after we crossed RT. 116 I finally pulled off and rested for a while at the back. We all pretty much stayed together for most of the way back to Greenfield and along the way we picked up a couple of the stragglers off the back of the main bunch. We rode back to the shop and arrived just as it was getting dark. It was a nice ride, but I was really tired when I got back.

Tuesday, August 13 Distance - 30.66 Average - 18.0

I knew this was going to be a hard ride as soon as we left the parking lot... I was still feeling sore from Sunday's hike up Mt. Monadnock (it was the hike DOWN that killed me, actually). The front of my legs were sore enough that I even had a problem walking down my front steps on the way to the ride. On the trip down to Stillwater, I could already tell that I wouldn't be doing any pushing on this ride. Every time I accelerated, the front of my legs started to burn. I could only hope that as I warmed up, they would loosen up and start to feel better. At the bottom of Stillwater, I didn't even try to keep up with the faster group. I took the hill at my own pace then held back to let my legs recover a bit before taking off on the flats down towards Whately. Roger and I rode together, and just before Christian Lane slowed up to let a rider catch on from behind. We kept a reasonable pace back up River Road. I slowed drastically on every little climb as my legs started to cramp up due to my attempting to keep my pace up over the tops. My hopes of feeling better after the ride faded as we came back into town. I finished the ride feeling more sore than when I had begun. So I guess I'll just take it easy on Wednesday and hope to REALLY recover before Thursday's ride.

Wednesday 8/14: It was another hot muggy day today and I was really glad that the shop is air conditioned, because if I had to work in this heat I would surly melt. I left the shop at 6:00 and headed down to Deerfield where I was met by a group of riders that included Liam, Mark C., Tom and Charlene Deam, Rich Flye, Homer, Laura, Doug and Jonny Hillman, Greg Dupree, Jack, and Kip. We split up at the start with my group of Tom, Charlene, Doug, Jonny, and Homer heading up the road while Kip and the rest of the group took the Crystal Cave Trail out to the Pool Road where we met up again. I rode down to the turn off point and headed the group off in the right direction and then I followed Tom and Charlene up the hill. Since this was their second MTB ride I stayed with them and gave them some tips on getting up the hill as well as over some of the obstacles along the trail. The three of us took our time and we rode up the hill to the rock lookout, where we rested and took in the views. ( There was not much for views as the haze obscured the hills to the west.) After our rest we headed out to the picnic table where we again rested and looked at the haze. We were soon joined by some of the group that was ahead of us. The group of four riders had gotten separated from main bunch and since it was getting late we decided to head back to the cars. I followed the group that was led by Doug Hillman as we headed back to the downhill road. I stayed back with Tom and Charlene and we rode together down to the Refrigerator Trail and then down the Mud Mile. I did not really push too hard tonight, but I was soaked with sweat when I got back to the parking spot. I had a great ride and it was fun to ride with Tom and Charlene.

Thursday, August 15 Distance - 38.38 Average - 19.9

We tried to get an early start on tonight's ride (The Shutesbury ride we had already done earlier this year, but counterclockwise). Things have been getting dark earlier, so Bob said that this is probably going to be our last long ride for the year. This is coming too soon, I can't believe we are at this point in the season already! We aimed for a 5:40 start. Roger and a few others left around 5:35, but by the time our group got our act together, it was more like 5:50. Our group stuck together all the way through Montague, then out 47 to 63. Things didn't start getting strung out until we were heading South on 63. Once we turned up Leverett rd (??) we hit a small climb that split us some more, but we managed to bring things back together in Leverett Center (mostly because the few fastest riders didn't know the route and had to keep doubling back to us). The climb from Leverett to Shutesbury was long. In no time, all I could see were a few lone riders ahead of me, and a few behind. I dropped into a low gear and settled into a cadence I could maintain for miles. In a little while, I caught and passed Roger and others of his group that had started out earlier. Finally, I got to the village at the top where the rest of the group was waiting. After waiting for everyone behind me to roll up, we started down the miles of downhill back to Rte 63. My legs were still a little sore from Sunday's hike, so I hung out in the back of the peleton for the descent. Things went well except for one driver who insisted on passing us on a winding blind stretch of road and almost became a hood ornament on a truck coming towards us from the other direction. After the descent, we kept the pace up through Montague. I took a pull right through the center of town, then pulled off just as we reached a small incline by the Bookmill. It was a mistake, as I knew as soon as the group accelerated past me that I would NOT be able to hang on to the wheel of the last rider as he went past. I ended up dropping off the back with Jeremy and Michael. I think I was feeling a little better than they were, so I stayed in the front and pulled us towards Hatchery road. About a half mile short of Hatchery Road, I saw Scott Wade dropping off the group in front, which I thought was a little strange. He dropped back to us and I passed him before realizing that the had probably dropped back to help pull us back up to the main group. I stayed in the front until the turn onto Hatchery road, then let everyone go past me. The four of us took turns a few times, then we all tired and Scott took over pulling us towards Turners. Soon, it was just the two of us as Jeremy and Michael dropped. We were gaining ground on the group as we came into the stop in Turners, where we caught everyone else who had been stopped for traffic. As usual, I dropped off on the Poets Seat climb. We also caught a little bit of rain here, but it felt good after the hard ride we had been on. We pulled back into the shop as darkness fell. 15 minutes later, some other riders (Malcolm, Tom Silko, Jesse, etc) who had made an even later start pulled in.

Thursday 8/15: I had two rides scheduled for tonight. I sent the 5:30 group out to do the Shutesbury climb and I waited for the 6:00 group to arrive. Many of the riders had not seen the email that I sent and a small group of riders showed up for the 6:00 start. I left the shop with a group of four riders to do a shorter Cave Hill loop. I rode with Peter Truesdell, Stuart, Chris Koh and Mike Szteliga over to Montague where Chris and Stuart pulled off the front of the rest of us. Mike and Peter were working well together so I told Chris and Stuart to ride on ahead. I dropped back to Mike and Peter and the three of us road over to RT. 63 where we noticed that Chris and Stuart had gone the other way over to Cave Hill. My group turned right and headed up the hill to Montague Road where we turned left (after a brief stop to adjust Peter's seat height) and headed over to Cave Hill. As we started to climb the hill we saw Chris, Stuart and Craig Hefner coming down. We waved and continued up to the top. At the top of the hill we slowed briefly to catch our breath before we headed down to North Leverett Road. We rode down the hill and crossed RT.63 and then we headed back to the shop by the Poet's Seat hill route. It was a good ride and when the rest of the crew arrived they told us of their ride. It was a great night to be out on a bike!

Sunday 8/18: It was a little less hot than it has been lately, although the humidity was still up there it seemed a lot more bearable than the last few days have been. I drove over to Montague Center where I was met by Jack, Rich Flye, Laura, Erin, Amelia, Mike Willard, Tom and Charlene Deam. We left the center of town and headed up the Telephone Pole Trail. Amelia was having a hard time adjusting to her new bike so I stayed with her for most of the way up the hill. Jack decided to take the Toilet Bowl Trail out to the power lines and I let him lead while I took up the sweep. I rode with Amelia and she had no trouble keeping up the pace. We rode out to the power lines where we turned onto the side trail that led us up to the sand pit. I was at the back of the group and arrived at the pit just in time to see Rich take a dive over the handlebars as he rode off the edge of the pit. Rich was OK and soon he was back on the bike and we all headed off to do the western climb of Willis Hill. I rode with Erin and Amelia as we headed to the climb. The rest of the crew had gone on ahead and the three of us started up the first hill when Amelia slipped and fell. She got up and seemed to be OK and we continued onward. Amelia had some difficulty on the next climb but as she neared the top she fell again and so she was a little unsteady at the top of Willis Hill so we had her walk down the steep hill. The rest of us rode down the hill and waited for her to come down to where we were waiting. When we were on top of the hill we had noticed that there was a SUV stuck in the mud at the bottom of the hill. When we got over to the SUV we came upon a young boy walking in the mud and he said that there was a man in the car sleeping. At this point I decided to call the police and let them help them out. After the call we continued on and began the descent to the BPT trail. I asked Amelia if she wanted to follow me down the hill or lead. She said that she wanted to follow me so I told her to keep her speed under control as the hill gets steeper near the bottom and the trail is pretty rutted. As I got near the last rocky drop off I thought that she was doing pretty well, but then I heard her say "Oh my God!!" and the next thing I knew she went flying by me. I hollered to her to put the brakes on, but she kept on going and she picked up speed as she headed for the big rut at the bottom. I thought that she was dead, but she miraculously made it to the bottom of the hill. When she stopped she was visibly shaken and she said that her brakes had failed on the way down the hill. She said that her hands were sore from all the pulling on the levers. After a couple of minutes she was OK and we all headed off down the BPT Trail. We rode out to the power lines and then we headed up Red Rock and then back down to the sand pit. At this point everyone was ready to head back so we rode down the Brook Trail to the Plains Road and from there we rode down the sandy sections and finally we got out to the Banked Trails. After we got out of the woods we headed back down the Telephone Pole Trail and from there we rode the hardtop road back to the cars. It was a really nice ride and with the nicer weather it was a great day to be out on the trails.

Tuesday 8/20: Tonight we took a ride up to Beermont on a beautiful late summer evening. A small group took off to do the ride at 5:30. This group was led by Roger Katz and there was a couple of riders with him. Sue Putnam took a group that included Jeannie and Christina "the crab", Mary Ellen, Jack Dunphy and several others. I led a group of 15 riders out of the shop and we headed up to Bernardston Road. Riding along with me was Tommy, Curt, Jamie, Richard Rogers, Dan Lass, Will K., John G., and Mark Newton. We left the shop and I led the troops over to Bernardston Road and up the hill where Tommy came by to help out. Tommy and several others took turns at the front of the group and the pace was about 22 mph all the way to the center of Bernardston. Shortly after we got through the center of town Dan had a problem with his bike and Curt stopped to help him out. We slowed the pace quite a bit and they caught up with us at the Hollywood Bar. After that we picked up the pace again to 20 mph and we headed north. Tommy and several others did the sprint at the VT state line and then we all settled in for the run up to Tyler Hill. I stayed mostly at the back of the group, resting for the charge up the hill. When we got to the turn I stayed on the outside and worked hard to take the hill sprint, but Tommy came around me just before the top and I sat up. Mark, Dan and Richard came around me and continued on down the hill, while I waited at the top for the riders to regroup. I rode down the hill behind Curt and John, with the rest of the group right behind me. When we got to RT. 142 we saw Roger and Rob LaPointe coming the other way (apparently they did not hear the route.) and we waved. We all took turns at the front for most of the way back to Northfield, but I started to fade somewhat and I skipped several pulls. There was a sprint at the Mass state line (which Tommy won) and then again at the Gill town line (which Tommy won.) Tommy and John were sprinting for every town line that we came upon so I told them that there was another one coming up on the Gill Road. I stayed at the back and just before the line I gave it a good shot, but I got nipped at the line by Curt. At this point I was really getting tired and I dropped off the back of the group with Curt on the next climb. Curt and I managed to catch back on when the trio in front of us sat up at the stop sign. We all road down to the Gill-Montague bridge where Tommy and John sprinted for the village line. I looked at Jamie and said that even on a good day I wouldn't sprint for that one. ( The road is very bumpy, with large cracks in the pavement as well as some potholes.) We all made the right turn and rode over to the bridges that take us back to Greenfield. What happened next was the stuff that legends are made of. Tommy and John got going across the river bridge and then started to sprint for the town line. At some point John must have put his head down, because the next thing I saw was his bike flying through the air and then a large cloud of dust. It seems that John missed the turn at the end of the bridge and instead went straight off the road and into the brush. I thought that we would be calling 911 for sure, but he soon got up and brushed himself off. He seemed OK as he remounted his bike and began the climb to the top of the hill. At this point I was going pretty slow, so I did not see if there was a sprint for the top of the hill. I rode very easily back to the shop where we all regaled in the story of John's crash. It was a fun night, although we will not be able to get too many more 35 mile rides in this year.

Tuesday, August 20
Distance - 35.08
Average - 20.6
Ending Mileage - 2631

The hot weather finally broke, so tonight's ride was in the 80s for the first time in weeks (months?). We started off up 5&10 toward Bernardston in a group of about 12 riders. I needed a good long time to warm up tonight, and fortunately this group started off slowly on the small climb out of town. I was feeling pretty 'doggy', so attempted to slide to the back of the group near the Bernardston line so I could skip a turn at the front. Jamie fought letting me drop back, but I finally managed to drop past him to the rear of the group.

The speed slowly picked up North of Bernardston. A few miles North, I overshifted and dropped my chain off the big chainring. Usually (this has been happening a lot lately as we try to work on a fix) I've been able to ride it back on, but this time the chain got jammed up in the front derailuer so I had to roll to a stop and fix it. The group kept going, but soft pedaled to give me a chance to catch back on, and one rider held back with me to help me jump back up to the group. I'm glad he did, as I STILL wasn't warmed up and having to push up to the group on my own would have been the end of me.

After that mishap, things went smoothly for the rest of the ride up 5. I was hanging in the back as we turned onto Tyler Hill, and was able to keep my momentum for more than half of the short climb. Even after I slowed, I kept it in a pretty high gear and pushed up over the top to the bridge over the Interstate. Bob, Jamie, John and Tom were taking it easy over the top, but I started pushing so I could get a high speed built up and roll over the little rises coming up soon on the descent.

Just as things started to really drop, John caught my wheel and then went past me we came into the sharpest turn. I had to ride my brakes just a bit to give him room on the turn, but all in all it was fun to be neck and neck with another rider on such a fast section. We rolled on through the stop at the end to head South on 142.

By the time we hit the railroad tracks North of Vernon, we had all come back together. Some of the faster riders who had made it up over Tyler Hill before us vanished off the front, leaving Jamie, Bob, Tom, John and myself to finish the trip back to town. Bob took the front for a while, until Tom Silko said something about chasing down the riders ahead and took the front of out group as we started the climb by Vernon Green nursing home. I tried to hang onto his wheel for a bit, but finally gave up. In a minute, he looked back to realize that he was alone, so slowed to rejoin the group.

After the climb, we all took turns at the front towards the Mass line, which John and Tom sprinted for (I was in the font at the time and in no condition to sprint after my pull). With that sprint out of the way, we settled down to a nice pacline again until the rise (hill?) just North of the gravel pits. I dropped off the back here, but caught back on over the top. We all dropped down the next short hole, then rode it out over the climb on the other side without loosing much speed. As we came down to Rte 10, we started looking forward to the double (uphill) townline sprint at the end of 142. Jamie ended up in front coming up to the sprint. John and Tom went out for it, and I gave it a shot starting from WAY back in the group. AS we crossed the line, Tom won it by a wheel over John, but I had managed to make it up to them and was only another few feet behind at the line . Tom continued on to the second sprint unchallenged.

We turned South off of 10, towards Turners Falls (I forget the name of the road). There is a hidden townline sprint on this road that Bob surprised us with the last time I did this ride, so I kept my eye out for it (the only way to recognize it is to look for the pavement change). As we came up to the place I thought it would be, I worked my way forward in the group. Finally, I saw what I was looking for and started my sprint. I was challenged by Bob, but he got too late of a start so I won it with room to spare.

I had tired myself a little on the final sprint, so dropped off the back a bit as we passed the golf course and took the final climb before Turners, but I took back most of the gap (with Bob's help) before we hit Gill Road. We timed the lights well on Rte 2, so were able to keep some of our speed across the bridge and into Turners . Tom and John sprinted for the 'village line' (I don't remember who won).

All we had left in the ride was the trip over the canal, then up over the ridge back to the shop. Tom and John went off the front as Bob, Jamie and I got slowed by a car that didn't know how to drive. I was just about to cross the bridge when I looked up to see John as he entered the bushes on the other side of the canal. He had left the road for a little spontaneous mountain biking :) I saw bushes shaking and body parts flailing as he tumbled through the brush on the side of the road. By the time we came up beside him, he was making his way back onto the road none the worse for wear short of a few new scratches on the bike's seat. It wasn't a good place to stop (narrow road, blind corner, getting dark) so we all rolled past him after making sure he was all right. Minutes later, we were over the hill and back at the shop.

Thursday, August 22

Rained out. Things were looking good all day, but then the web weather pages started showing a line of thunderstorms coming in as the day progressed. By 4:00, things were getting really dark, but no rain yet. I decided to bail on the ride, which was a good decision since even if it hadn't rained (which it did eventually), the heavy cloud cover made it get dark really early.

Sunday 8/25: Today was a good day for a ride on the mountain bike. It was a warm sunny afternoon and I drove over to Montague to do a ride. Along for the trip was Don McCool, Tom and Charlene Deam, Harold, Jeffery and Matthew Green, Jack, Homer, PJW and Mark. I rode at the back of the group that took the road up to the firepit, while Jack took a few riders though the conservation land and they met up with us a few minutes after we arrived. We all took the long loop out to the end of the Telephone Pole Trail and from there we rode the long way around to Willis Hill. We stopped several times to re-group and when we got to the Banked Trails I sent everyone on ahead and I stayed back with Jeffery and Charlene. We rode over to the BPT Trial where we headed over to the bottom of Willis Hill Road. I rode up the hill and waited at the top for Jeffery and Charlene and then the three of us rode to the bottom of Willis Hill where PJW and Homer were waiting. They decided not to climb the steep hill so I gave them directions to the Kiabuckus Trail and they rode off to do that hill. I took Jeffery and Charlene and we headed across the Swamp Road to Red Rock where we waited for the rest of the group to arrive. As we waited I showed Charlene and Jeffery how to do a bunny hop and a wheelie. After a few minutes PJW and Homer arrived, but they had not seen the rest of the group so we waited for a while and then the five of us headed off toward the Brook Trail. As we got to the Brook Trail I spotted Mark coming across the top of the Red Rock Road and I shouted up to him. He asked if I had a chain tool, because someone had broken a chain. I told him to have the rider meet me at the sand pit and I took my group around to meet up with the rest of the crew. When I got to the sand pit Mark came down to say that they had fixed the chain and that Harold was coming along shortly. When Harold got down the hill I asked if he was OK and we decided to head off to the Toilet Bowl Trail. I should have checked out the repair but instead we all stared riding off along the power lines. I rode at the back of the group and when I got to the dirt road I saw the group waiting for me. I thought, "How nice that everyone wanted to me to join them on the way out.", but it turned out that Harold's chain had gotten wrapped around the derailleur and had ripped the hanger off. At this point it was getting late and there was nothing that we could do to repair his bike, so I had Harold and Jeffery walk down the hill to the hardtop road and the rest of us took off to ride back to the cars. I rode with Charlene and we soon were back to the Telephone Pole Trail. We rode at a steady pace all the way to the bottom of the hill and then we took the hardtop road back to the cars. I loaded my bike into the van and drove off to get Harold and Jeffery. After I picked them up I drove them to their car and then I headed for home. It was a really nice ride on a perfect day.